JERUSALEM: Arab and Islamic nations issued a joint condemnation of remarks by US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who suggested Israel had a biblical right to a vast swath of the Middle East.
Huckabee made the comments during an interview on the podcast of commentator Tucker Carlson.
In the episode, Carlson pushed Huckabee on a biblical verse sometimes interpreted as entitling Israel to land between the Nile and the Euphrates rivers.
In response, Huckabee said “it would be fine if they took it all,” before later clarifying it was “somewhat of a hyperbolic statement.”
The backlash widened as more than a dozen governments and three major regional organisations issued a joint statement denouncing the comments.
The statement was released by the United Arab Emirates’ foreign ministry and signed by numerous nations including Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.
Regional bodies the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab League, and the Gulf Cooperation Council also signed the condemnation.
They said the comments contravene the UN Charter and efforts to de‑escalate the Gaza war.
The joint statement described the ambassador’s comments as “dangerous and inflammatory.”
Earlier, several Arab states had issued unilateral condemnations of Huckabee’s remarks.
Saudi Arabia described the ambassador’s words as “reckless” and “irresponsible.”
Jordan said the statement was “an assault on the sovereignty of the countries of the region.”
Kuwait decried what it called a “flagrant violation of the principles of international law.”
Oman said the comments “threatened the prospects for peace” and stability in the Middle East.
Egypt’s foreign ministry reaffirmed “that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory or any other Arab lands.”
The Palestinian Authority said Huckabee’s words contradict US President Donald Trump’s rejection of Israel annexing the West Bank.
On Saturday, Huckabee published posts on X further clarifying his position on other topics from the interview.
He did not address his specific remark about the biblical verse in those posts.
The speaker of the Israeli parliament, Amir Ohana, praised Huckabee on X for his general pro-Israel stance.
Ohana accused Carlson of “falsehoods and manipulations” during the interview.
Carlson has recently faced accusations of antisemitism following other interviews.
